Jenyfer Matthews

One odd thing about Egypt that I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned before is that doctors practicing here often have evening hours as a matter of course. So far as I can tell, they will work a rotating and floating schedule - a few days a week at this clinic, a few days at that one, a few hours here, a few hours there. You get the idea. They may be across town on a Monday afternoon and in your neck of the woods on Tuesday evening.

Going out for doctor appointments in the evening isn’t my idea of a good time, but on the up-side you can normally get a appointment the same day you call the office. And evening hours do work out well for children who are in school during the day - provided it’s the early evening. I was once offered an appointment for an MRI at 11pm! I waited a whole day so I could go in at noon instead!

I took my son to the doctor the other evening and since I forgot to bring my own book, I looked through their selection of magazines instead. There are plenty of magazines produced locally, but few are in English so I can’t read any of them. But this time I found one that was just fascinating.

(click image to enlarge)

Written by Egyptians for Egyptians (in English? Why?), the editor’s note on the inside cover says:

The first time the magazine was launched last March 07, the words “Just Divorced” and “magazine” uttered together made some people immediately envision Divorce in their future. The rationale behind it though, was that each and every family witnesses the subject of divorce in one way or another and has many unanswered questions, but no publication has ever put it all in one place. Fortunately, this has changed and people now see it as it really is - a useful and interesting resource for anyone trying to improve their life to start a new slate so they don’t end up divorced.
{…}
Of course, we understand that divorce is a loaded word - one that holds a negative connotation for some. But it doesn’t have to be negative. We see divorce not as a failure but as an essential learning experience - experiences if not always building blocks to future success, then at least a necessary part of life. It is not a problem as many like to believe but a solution to a problem!

Okay, I can see where they are going with this idea and it’s not a bad one - though I’m still not sure about that title. And I’m sure that many many people have viewed getting a divorce as “a solution to a problem”! Maybe it’s just me, but just from scanning their table of contents, is their reporting style a tiny bit skewed? Women - you better look your best or you’ll end up a poor cruel single mother. Guys don’t worry - you can be a great single dad!

I’m almost looking forward to the follow up visit to see what other reading material the waiting area has to offer! And by the way - follow up visits with doctors are very often free or at least discounted. Now that’s a system I’d like to export…

BTW, little man has a plantar’s wart on his big toe. Now maybe he’ll listen to me when I tell him not to run around barefoot!